Description of the Liaison Office of the Council Secretariat of the EU in New York

Head of Liaison Office: Mr. Pedro Serrano


The idea of a New York Liaison Office of the General Secretariat of the Council of the EU was first mooted during the closing negotiations of the Maastricht Treaty. At that time, it was recognized that the Union's new Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) would lead to increased activity in terms of coordinating the EU's common position on a number of UN issues, especially in the area of international peace and security. With this in mind, it was agreed to establish a permanent office in the summer of 1994. The Office is headed by an Ambassador and assisted by a Deputy Head of Office.

The work of the office took on a new impetus with the entry into force of the Treaty of Amsterdam and the appointment of the European Union's High Representative, Javier Solana, who has become a frequent visitor to New York.

The tasks of the Liaison Office are twofold: it assists the Presidency and the Member States of the Union in their coordination process. Since the Amsterdam Treaty (1999) it is part of the EU Troika. Typically, the Secretariat ensures the continuity of the external action of the EU by serving as an archive and as drafting partner for the innumerable statements and UN resolutions, which are the daily bread of UN activity in New York. The Secretariat also serves as a UN antenna for the Brussels headquarters, informing the relevant services there of developments in New York. This aspect will take on increasing importance as the EU develops its relations with the UN in the field of conflict prevention and peacekeeping, as enshrined in the Joint Declaration signed in September 2003 by UNSG Kofi Annan and Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, holder of the EU rotating Presidency.

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• Directory of the Council Secretariat in New York (10/10/2008)
• Déscription du Bureau de Liaison du Secrétariat Général du Conseil de L'Union Européenne à Genève (27/4/2007)
• Overview: the European Union at the United Nations (1/1/2007)
• The Council's Liaison Office in New York (15/1/2004)